The Australian women’s Rugby Sevens team has completed a stunning season with World Cup glory, adding the title to World Series and Commonwealth triumphs.
Separate from the World Series, the World Cup in a quadrennial one-off championship which was held in Cape Town as Australia claimed its second women’s title.
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Playing New Zealand in the final, who continued their stunning record of never missing the decider in what was the fourth edition of the women’s Rugby Sevens World Cup, Australia held off a fast finishing Kiwi side 24-22 and deny them a third straight title.
Australia had claimed the title in 2009 but had not made it back to the World Cup final since but continued what had been a miraculous year.
The strong-running Maddison Levi scored a hat-trick of tries and Faith Nathan scored Australia’s fourth try while Kelly Brazier, Stacey Fluhler, Shiray Kaka and Alena Saili crossed for New Zealand.
New Zealand trailed by 14 points with two minutes to play but hit back with two tries, the last by Saili almost two minutes after the final hooter.
Tenika Willison narrowly missed a conversion attempt which would have taken the match to extra time.
The win seals an insanely dominant season for Australia who claimed the nation’s maiden Rugby Sevens Commonwealth Games gold, which was the only title missing from the trophy cabinet.
It gives the Aussie women a clean sweep of the trophies in 2021-22, having won four of the six tournaments in the World Series.
And not only have they been winning games on the field, they’ve won hearts off it.
In February, the team was seen picking up the confetti after taking out the Spanish Sevens.
At the Commonwealth Games, Maddison and Teagan Levi’s mum Richelle won over Sunrise after a hilariously drunken interview.
And after clinching the World Cup, Aussie stars were pictured dancing with basically anyone who wanted a dance.
Rio Olympic gold medallist Sharni Williams was named player of the final.
“It’s a tough battle always in our rivalries with New Zealand but it’s just that skill execution, as soon as we had set piece you could see that it unfolded – they scored, we scored and it became a really great testament to what Rugby Sevens is,” she said.
“I love these girls, they keep me young – old girl, new tricks.”
In the men’s draw, Fiji took out the title after crushing Australia 38-14 in the semi-final and New Zealand 29-12 in the final.
Australia finished fourth, losing 19-13 to Ireland in the bronze final.
With AFP
